Electric heater



Nov. 22, 1932. R. VON BROCKDORFF 8 ELECTRIC HEATER Filed 0013. 10, 1929 Patented Nov. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RUDOLF VoN BROGKBOE-FF, OF MUNICH, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR. TO SCHUTTE AND KOER-TING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA ELECTRIC HEATER Application filed October 10, 1929, Serial No. 398,608, and. in Germany April 6, 1929.

My invention relates to electric heaters and it has for its general object to provide an electric heater of novel construction including means whereby it operates with high efliciency.

It also is an object of the invention to provide an electric heater including means of novel construction for utilizing both the principle of radiation. and convection for effect ing a distribution of the heat in a room or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric heater of novel construction wherein the heating elements are located interiorly of the outer casing of the structure and are combined with means whereby the heat radiated. therefrom is reflected from the heater and emerges through an opening in a side of he casing thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an electric heater wherein the heating elements are located inside the casing of the heater in cooperative relation to a reflector structure and in cooperative relation to an upwardly extending passageway through the casing, whereby transfer of heat therefrom and from the heater by convection is facilitated.

The foregoing are a few of the objects and advantages incident to my invention. Other objects and advantages thereof will be pointed out in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such 5 description.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and the practical advantages thereof fully appreciated reference should be had to the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated one embodiment thereof in a form which at present is preferred by me. However, itwill be understood that the invention. may be embodied in other forms of construction and that various changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims appended hereto without departing from the said invention or the principle thereof.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in front elevation; and

Fig. 2 is a central vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing I have shown a heater .comprising a casing of sheet metal or other suitable material, having a rear wall 1, side walls 2, a front wall 3 having an opening 4 therein near its lower end, and a bottom 5 consisting of a rectangular frame having intermediate cross-pieces or bars as shown. The opening 4 is rectangular in shape, in the construction shown, and is provided with a frame 6 fitted therein within which there is mounted a second frame 7 provided with vertical bars 8 constituting a grating.

The heating elements consisting of coiled wires 10 of suitable electric current resistance material are connected at their opposite ends to spaced metal terminal members 11 which are supported upon blocks 12 of electric insulating material. These bars are in turn supported upon metal strips 13 which are connected at their opposite ends to inwardly extending flanges of angle irons 14 which are connected, as shown, to the opposite sides 14' of a reflector. The heating elements 10 may be connected either in series or in parallel, depending upon the preference of the build er or u on the conditions which should be met. sulating material is located a distance above the upper edge of the opening 4 in the front wall 3 of the heater casing, so that the lower ends of the heating elements 10 likewise terminate a distance above the upper edge of the said opening. In operation it will be understood that these heating elements may become heated to incandescenoe or to a less degree if desired.

The heating elements 10 are located in the he lower series of blocks 12 of inlid upper portion of the reflector structure and are supported in vertical positions in parallel relation to a plate 15 the inner surface of which is highly polished so that it is light and heat reflecting. The plate 15 is connected at its opposite ends to the inwardly extending flanges of the angle irons 14 by which it is supported.

A plate 16 is located in rear of the heating elements 10, in opposed relation to the plate- 15, and at an angle of forty-five degrees thereto. The inner surface of the plate 16 is highly polished, so that it is highly reflective in character. In consequence the heat and light rays which impinge thereon are reflected. It should be noted'that the heat is radiated from the heating elements in directions at right angles to the axes of the said elements, as indicated by the arrows 17 in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Although no arrows are shown it will be understood that heat and light radiate in the opposite directions from that indicated byvthe arrows 17 and impinges upon the reflecting surface of the plate 15. As the reflecting surface of the latter is parallel with the axes of the heat ing elements 10, it will be understood that the heat and light rays which impinge thereon are reflected back past the heating elements and impinge upon the reflecting surface of the reflector plate 16. Not only these rays but also the direct rays indicated by the arrow 17 strike the reflecting surface of the plate 16at'angles of 15, as a result of which they are reflected vertically downwardly, as indicated at 18, and impinge upon the curved highly polished reflecting surface 20 of the reflector plate 21. The reflector plates 16 and 21 are supported upon their opposite ends upon the opposing sides 14 ofthe reflector structure. The reflector is supported by the members 22 (only one of which is shown) which are located near the opposite ends of the heater casing and supported upon the cross-bars of the bottom thereof. These members include arms 23 and 2a which e2;- tend upwardly and are connected at their upper ends by rivets to the rear side of the lower reflector plate 21, as is shown in Fig. The reflector structure comprising the plates 16 and 21 is strengthened and rendered more rigid by the overlapping of the inner rear flange portions 25 and 26, the first of the said flanges being integral with the plate 16 and the second of the said flanges 26 being integral with the upper edge of the plate 21. The plate 21 extends generally at an angle of approximately to a vertical line or plane and generally at an angle of with respect to the plate 2O, but being curved as indicated the reflected rays 18 which impinge thereupon are dispersed so that the rays which are reflected therefrom, as indicated by the arrow 30, escape through the open ing in the front side 3 of the casing in the form of a widening beam. By the means as illustrated a very high percentage of the heat which radiates from the heating elements 10 is caused to radiate from the heater in a manner to effect most eficiently the heating of a portion of a room directly in front of the heater. It will be understood, however, that the plate 21 need not be curved as shown, but on the contrary, may be plane and it also will be understood that the plate 15 may be omitted or, if employed as shown, that the inner surface thereof need not be highly polished or light and heat reflecting.

In order to render the heater nore efiicient and to more evenly and more completely distribute the heat generated by the heating elements 10 throughout a room to be heated I have provided means whereby the distribution of the heat by means of convection is facilitated. To that end I have provided a passageway 31 between the upper front edge of the plate 16 andthe upper edge of the plate 15, which passageway is located in adjoining relation to the upper end of the heating elements 10. The air enters from the exterior to the interior of the heater through the opening in the front Wall 3 of the casing and passes upwardly bet-ween the plates 15 and 16, and in so doing contacts with the heating elements 10. It continues its flow through the opening or passageway '31, as indicated by the arrow 32 and escapes through openings 33 provided in the top 34 of the heater. In its upward'travel it contacts or may cont-act with a plate 35 con stituting a shield which is located above the heating elements 10 and serves as a protection therefor.

The plate 35 is of angular shape, as shown, and its lower vertical portion, as shown in Fig. 2, is supported upon the upper ends of the angle irons 14.

It also will be noted that air flows upwardly, as indicated by the arrow 36, through the space between the plate 15 and the front wall 3 of the heater. The air passing through this space is slightly heated and mingles with the air flowing through the passageway 31 previously referred to and cooperates there with in the heating of the room in which the heater may be located and also serves to prevent the heating of the front wall 3.

Any suitable material may be employed for the plates 15, 16 and 21,but the metal, copper, is at present preferred by me.

By reason of the reflection of the heat rays from the reflecting surfaces of the plates 15, 16 and 21 of the reflector structure and of the further fact that the said plates are supported in spaced relation to the surroundit? ing walls of the heater structure the said Walls remain cool. In other words, their temperature is but little, if any, higher than the temperature of the surrounding air. Notwithstanding this, however, the

heater is highly eflicient in its heating effect upon the air within a room in which the heater may be located.

One advantage of the construction as illustrated is that the heating elements are concealed so that they are not visible from the exterior, whereby the use of the device for household heating purposes is rendered more agreeable and pleasant.

The light rays which are reflected from the reflector plates 16 and 21 are so colored by the color of the metal of the said plates that, as they emerge from the opening in the front wall of the heater casing, they produce a pleasant warm-appearing effect.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the front wall thereof, a reflector located within the said casing, said reflector comprising a plurality of angularly related reflecting surfaces one of which is located in rear of and in opposed relation to the said opening and another of which is located above and in the rear of said opening in spaced relation to the opposing portion of said front wall, and electric heating elements located between the last mentioned reflecting surface and the said opposing portion of said front wall.

2. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the front wall thereof, a reflector supported within said casing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, said reflector comprising a couple of angularly related reflecting surfaces, one of which is located in opposed relation to the said opening and the other of which is located above and in the rear of said opening, a second reflector located above said opening in rear of and in spaced relation to the portion of the front wall above the said opening and in opposed relation to the second mentioned reflecting surface of the first named reflector and at an angle of approximately 45 thereto, and elongated heating elements supported between the second mentioned reflecting surface and the second named reflector in parallel relation to the latter.

3. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the lower side of the front wall thereof, a reflector located within the said casing, the reflecting surfaces of which are arranged in approximate right angular relation to each other, the intersection of the planes of said surfaces being parallel with the said front wall, the upper edge of the uppermost of the said reflecting surfaces being spaced from the front wall of the said casing, and elongated heating elements supported in the space between the last named reflector and the front wall and extending at an angle of approximately 45 to the sa d reflecting surface, the lower ends of the said heating elements terminating at points above the upper edge of the said opening.

4. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the lower part of the front wall thereof, a reflector mounted within the said casing, said reflector having two reflecting surfaces arranged in angular relation to each other, the lower edge of the uppermost of said surfaces terminating in a line located in a horizontal plane above the horizontal plane of the upper edge of the said opening, and the upper edge of the upper of said reflectors being spaced from the said front wall, a reflector located in spaced relation to the said front wall between the same and the upper of said reflectors, the upper edge of said second named reflector being spaced from the upper edge of the uppermost of the first named reflector, and heating elements located in the space between the uppermost of the first named reflector and the second named reflector, the axes of said elements extending at angles of 45 to the reflecting surfaces of the uppermost reflecting surface of the first named reflector.

5. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the lower part of the front wall thereof, a reflector mounted Within the said casing, said reflector comprising upper and lower plates the front surfaces of which are heat and light reflecting, said plates being angularly related to each other and the lower of said plates being located in opposed relation to the said opening and the upper of said plates being located above said opening,

the upper edge of the uppermost of said plates being located in spaced relation to the front wall of the said casing to thereby provide a passageway between the said reflector and the said front wall through which a current of air may flow, and electric heating elements mounted within the said passageway in opposed relation to the uppermost of the said plates, the axes of said elements extending at angles of 45 to the surface of said plate.

6. An electric heater comprising a casing having an opening in the lower part of the front wall thereof, a reflector mounted within the said casing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, said reflector comprising upper and lower heat and light reflecting portions, the lower of said portions being located in opposed relation to the said opening and the upper of said portions being located above said opening, the top edge of the upper of said portions being spaced from the front wall of the said casing, a heat and light reflecting element supported within the said casing in parallel relation to said wall and in op posed relation to the upper of the said portions and at an angle of approximately 45 thereto, the presence of the heat and light reflecting element forming with the adj oining portion of said front wall and with the upper portion of the said reflector passageways through which currents of air are adapted to flow, and an electric heating ele-' ment supported in the passageway between the uppermost of the said portions and the said heat and light reflecting element, the axis of which extends at an angle of 45 to the surface of said portion. I

7. An electric heater comprising a casing the top and bottom of which are provided with openings whereby a current of air may flow upwardly through the said casing and the front wall of the'said casing being provided with an opening in the lower part thereof, a reflector supported within the said casing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, said reflector comprising upper and lower refleeting portions arranged at an angle of approximately 90 with respect to each other, I the reflecting surface of the lower of said portions being slightly curved about an axis parallel with the front wall of the said casing and being located in opposed relation to the opening in the said front wall, the uppermost of said portions being located above said opening, and the top edge of the said upper portion being spaced from the front wall of said casing and cooperating therewith to form a passageway through which a current of air is adapted to flow, and a heating ele- 530 ment supported in the last named passageway in opposed relation to the heat and light reflecting surface of the upper of said portions with the axis thereof extending at an angle of approximately 45 to the opposing surface of said portion.

8. An electric heater comprising a casing, the front wall of said casing having an opening therein, a reflector mounted in said casing in rear of said front wall, the said reflector having an upper reflecting surface and a lower reflecting surface, the said surfaces being arranged approximately at right angles to each other, the lower of said reflecting surfaces being located in opposed relation to the said opening and the upper of said reflecting surfaces being located above said opening, an electric heating element located in the said casing above said opening and in front of the upper reflecting surface, and means for establishing a current of air through the said casing past the said heatingelement.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 25th day'of September. A. D. 1929.

RUDOLF VON BROCKDORFF. 

